The assassination of the Hamas leader Adbel-Aziz al-Rantissi and the weekend suicide bombing at the Eretz border crossing have both been strongly condemned by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, speaking on behalf of the European Union and Ireland's EU presidency.
Calling for an immediate end to "the ongoing and seemingl endless cycle of retaliatory violence", he said he was "once again" reminding the Israeli government that "extra-judicial killings are contrary to international law". In his statement, Mr Cowen said respect for international law should mark "an important distinction between democratically-elected governments and terrorist groups".
Later, at a news conference in the K Club, Straffan, Co Kildare, where he was chairing the Asia-Europe Meeting of foreign ministers, Mr Cowen said: "The continuing cycle of violence will not bring the necessary peace and security that is sought by Israel or indeed the establishment of a Palestinian state. We cannot have a situation where people continue to view the problem there through the prism of the politics of the last atrocity."
Highlighting the need to implement the road map agreed by the United Nations, EU, US and Russia, Mr Cowen said:
"The whole purpose of the road map, its importance, the reason why we will continue to convey our support for it and the need to activate it in a way which is understood and of benefit to the people of that region, is because it is the only political mechanism by which the legitimate aspirations and needs of all the people of that region can be obtained.
"Peace and security for Israelis and the establishment of a Palestinian state will only come about on the basis of the implementation of a road map that provides permanent peace, and there is no other option except dialogue and negotiation between the parties. The European Union, however difficult the background against which we operate, will consistently put forward that view in the hope that the parties to this conflict will listen sooner rather than later and avoid further loss of life as this cycle of violence and counter-violence continues."
The latest episodes of violence were also condemned by the EU Commissioner for External Relations, Mr Chris Patten, who said: "We have always, in the European Union, condemned terrorist atrocities. We have always condemned, without any conceivable reservation, suicide bombings. We have also condemned targeted extra-judicial killings or assassinations. We think they are wrong, we think they are illegal and we think they are politically unwise.
"You don't encourage people to be more moderate this way and you unfortunately sow the seeds for further violence. I wish what happened yesterday hadn't taken place and I wish the suicide bombing yesterday hadn't taken place," Mr Patten told the news conference.
Meanwhile, commenting on the situation in Iraq, Japan's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Hitoshi Tanaka, said: "We believe that the schedule for transfer of sovereignty must be kept and we would very much like to see a very vigorous involvement of the United Nations."
He added: "The security situation in Iraq is not very good, it is quite clear. But yet this is for the sake of the reconstruction of Iraq, the establishment of a democratic government for Iraq by Iraqis themselves."
Japanese defence personnel were in Iraq in sizeable numbers "for the purpose of humanitarian and reconstruction efforts" and his government hoped that this force would continue to play a major role in this regard.